While outdoor picnics have always been very popular, in recent years there has been an ever increasing tendency to prepare foods over charcoal grills, particularly in the yards of homes throughout the country. Typically, entrees thus prepared are eaten outside, together with supplemental side dishes, salads, and the like carried outdoors for the occasion. Meals provided in this manner tend to be festive affairs, and they provide a pleasant change from the daily mealtime routine, which undoubtedly has had much to do with their widespread attraction.
Despite their popularity, however, there are recognized drawbacks to outdoor picnic meals, the because of this, many individuals avoid them, preferring to eat indoors. While the reluctance on the part of such individuals can simply be explained by a preference for the comforts of indoor eating, many do not like the problems attendant to an outdoor eating environment. There is, for example, the unavoidable presence of flys and other insects which are attracted to, and frequently contaminate side dishes left exposed for the relatively long periods required to cook the main course of the meal. In addition, there is the problem of keeping items such as salads and other foods which taste better cold, sufficiently chilled while the main course is being prepared, particularly in a situation in which such foods are exposed to the sun. An additional aggravation comes from the effort involved in carrying tables outdoors to hold the side dishes and other supplemental foods, and from which such foods are to be served.